Native Plants
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Smarty Plants Question Topics
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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| Ground cover for shade from Atlanta GA May 28, 2012 I am looking for recommendations for a ground cover. I live in the Atlanta, Georgia area and have a large shady slope on which I would like to use low maintenance/water native ground cover. What wou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Stabilizing a lakeside slope from Bracey, VA May 24, 2012 We are trying to beautify and stabilize a relatively large lakeside steep slope with a southern exposure in central Virginia. The soil is characterized by red clay and shale rock. How can we turn this... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Shrubs and small trees for a slope in NY May 21, 2012 We are looking for a living wall made of shrubs / small trees - no more than 25' for the top of a steep creek bed. We are looking for the best erosion preventing types. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need suggestions for native grasses to stabilize hillside Lago Vista, TX. May 20, 2012 I was hoping for some advice. We live on a hillside near Lake Travis. 10-12 years ago I removed all cedar trees. There is approximately 1-2 acrees of steep land between our residence and the lake. ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion Control in Bartlesville OK May 10, 2012 What kind of plants can we use to stop erosion and loss of bank on a creek that is mostly shaded? Is there any free advice/plants for people that are losing land due to water levels rising/dropping? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Steep slope from Charlotte NC May 03, 2012 I live near Charlotte, NC and I have a very steep sloped area from the edge of our front yard down to the road. It's a huge eyesore mainly because it is red clay dirt and has nothing growing on it. W... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Construction problems on site in Mansfield OH April 28, 2012 Last year we had a rectangular above ground pool put in the person who "leveled" for use did a terrible job and basically dug a huge hole for us to put our pool in. The back side of the pool is abou... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Ground cover for a bank in PA April 28, 2012 I live in Landisburg, PA, (zone 6). I need to find some ground cover for a primarily full sun bank that is roughly 10-12' down over the embankment and up to 100' long. This area wraps around our po... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for pond, for incline and area with poor soil April 23, 2012 I have three plant recommendation questions for Austin, TX. 1. I have a large pond that I would like to put native aquatic plants in. What are some hardy aquatic natives I could put in? The pond ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants to stabilize a bank in VT April 10, 2012 I am looking for suggestion on what plants might best be suited for aiding in the stabilization of a very steep bank above Lake Champlain. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion Control in a Mid-Atlantic Shoreline April 09, 2012 My family owns a riverfront property off of Machodoc Creek which runs into the Potomac on the Virginia side. The water is roughly 3 feet deep at the shoreline and concrete cylinders are used to contro... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for steep clay bank in Summerfield OH April 07, 2012 Hello, We have a steep 15-20 foot high bank behind our house here in southern Ohio. Probably 50 ft.long. What could we plant for beauty and erosion control. It is nasty clay soil with lots of shale an... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Flowering Deer Resistant Ground Cover for Dry Rocky Soil: Alabama March 26, 2012 My question has been partially answered in the FAQ but I live in Birmingham where the soil is clay and rocky so it's a little different. I want to plant on a rocky slope (small rocks like the size of... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Riverbank retention in VA March 26, 2012 I need some groundcover/bank retention for a Virginia riverbank in mixed sun and shade. I want to plant something native to VA. the area is out of the water but subject to occasional (4-5 times per y... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Dealing with rain runoff on a slope in Austin March 24, 2012 Our lawn is a year old and slopes at about a 45 degree angle with a lot of small holes and tiny gullies from water run-off. I have tried packing them with soil, but it washes away in the rain. Would ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Erosion control for a North Carolina creek side February 29, 2012 Hello Mr. Smarty Plants! I noticed a question on your website recommending NC native grasses and plants to help prevent erosion on a sloping backyard, including the use of an erosion blanket. The pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Need plants to control erosion on a hillside in Nashville, TN. February 28, 2012 Recently, a rogue contractor scraped all the sod off of my Tennessee hillside. Now the clay soil is exposed and washing away quickly. The hill slope is approximately 30 degrees. In the spring I'd ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a hillside in WI February 18, 2012 I live in Wisconsin and am currently doing a research project on plant variation on the north and south sides of a hill. I was wondering you could suggest any books to me that would address this issue... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Landscaping large area in Webster KY February 10, 2012 We just bought a house that we fell in love with. The land around it . . . well it has GREAT potential but is seriously lacking at the moment. Trying to get the farm up and running leaves very litt... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Deer resistant plants for Pittsburgh PA January 30, 2012 What shrubs can I plant on a wet slope that gets partial sun that will help control erosion? They need to be something the deer won't eat! We have lots of deer. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Restoring tornado-damaged property in Alexander City AL January 29, 2012 Dear Mr Smartypants, We were struck by the outbreak of tornadoes last spring and our wonderful woods are now unsightly sloping pastures with erosion problems.. many stumps and coils of roots. We are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for steep lakeside bank in Minnesota January 17, 2012 I am new to MN and would like to plant some pretty plants on my steep lakeside bank. What type plants and flowers should I plant to prevent erosion, but not block the lake view? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Chesapeake Bay Erosion Control from White Stone VA January 14, 2012 Native Wetland Plants for Chesapeake Bay Erosion Control -- I have a wooded lot (pine and hardwoods)leading to 4-5 ft. wide flat shoreline edged with riprap. What native wetland plants survive salt wa... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Ground cover for Connecticut sandy gravel bank January 11, 2012 What ground cover plant can I use on a sandy gravel bank behind my house? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| slope stabilization in Massachusetts January 09, 2012 My family and I recently put in a 120 x 100 horseback riding ring. It had to be built up in the back and, as a result, there is a 10 foot slope which could use stabilization. What plants native to Mas... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a bare clay slope in North Carolina December 22, 2011 Hi - I live near Raleigh North Carolina (border of the coastal plain and Piedmont). I have about 1/2 acre that was excavated for a geothermal heating/cooling system and now I need to stabilize it a... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need to Stabilize River Bank in Kentucky December 20, 2011 My home borders the Ohio River. I have lost a great deal of soil to the river. I am looking for plants with tight root systems that are water tolerant to protect my shoreline. Thanks View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for a lakeside bank in NC November 07, 2011 Our association is looking to plant a huge sloped area that runs down to Lake Wylie. We want to plant something that is good for erosion and that does not grow too tall so that we keep our view of th... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Water eroding corner in Austin October 25, 2011 I live close to the Wildflower Center. My yard slopes - as do my neighbors' yards to one corner in my yard. The result is constant moisture in one corner. The rest of the yard is caliche, rocks (m... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants to stabilize sandy slope in Massachusetts September 23, 2011 Dear Mr. Smartypants, I am working on a small public housing project in Chelmsford, MA, northwest of Boston. We have a steep, sunny and SANDY slope and I am stumped as to what to recommend that wi... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion at edge of driveway in Abilene TX August 26, 2011 My lawn suffered a great loss of grass over the winter and the soil at the edge of the driveway is washing away with watering and the occasional rains that we have. I am trying to get the grass to gr... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Liriope spicata for erosion and dust suppression from Bonifay FL August 16, 2011 I want to plant Liriope 'spicata'. I know it can be aggressive and that's what I want. We live on dirt road and need something by road for help in erosion and it's also hard to mow this are... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Stabilizing a sand bank in VT August 13, 2011 We have a summer cottage in Burlington, Vt. and need to stabilize a mound of sand. The "bank" we are trying to stabilize has partial sun and faces south. It measures approx 4' high and is 30' long... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | | |
| Ground cover for a slope in MD August 04, 2011 Looking for a groundcover to hold a shady slope undercut with tree roots in Maryland and to prevent further erosion. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion blanket question from Antimony UT August 03, 2011 I want to use an erosion control blanket for a hill and want to know what type I should purchase that would allow planting seeds and them growing up through the blanket View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Looking for grasses for slope around retention pond in Florida August 02, 2011 I live in St. Petersburg, FL on a large retention pond. Most of my neighbors on the pond have seawalls. I do not nor do my neighbors to my left and right. I am interested in colorful grasses to put... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Restoring a slope in the Mississippi sandhill region August 01, 2011 We are building on 5 acres (leaving 60% as is, natural). Only building a small (900-1200 sq ft house) & clearing 1 acre of the valley for a pond. There is a steep slope (where we had to put field dra... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Erosion prevention on shady Pennsylvania stream July 28, 2011 I'm looking for a few species to plant along a stream channel to help reduce erosion during heavy rains. The soil is moist and in full shade. Ferns and thorny bushes are the only current vegetation... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for slope in central Alabama July 26, 2011 Our home is atop a 20-25' eastern facing sandy loam slope in central Alabama. It was previously covered w/ kudzu. After 3 yrs. of eradication of the kudzu we are ready to plant with native grasses/pl... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Need suggestions for landscaping along a creek in Lenoir, NC July 25, 2011 I live in Lenoir, NC and would like to landscape my creek bank that is about 90 feet long and is 200 feet from my house. I thought about evergeen bushes maybe rhododendron; some grasses; a few trees ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for slope on Orcas Island, WA July 21, 2011 Hi! What a great site! Okay, I have a home on Orcas Island, WA. We live here from about June through September, but only visit once a month or so the other times of the year. We are looking for somet... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for a property near a conservation area in MD July 18, 2011 Can you tell me what native plants and the type of landscaping that would be good to plant in front of a forest conservation area that is on a steep hill behind our future house? It is located in Manc... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for steep bank in Pennsylvania July 12, 2011 What do I do with a very steep bank with hard clay soil to stop erosion and to look nice. Is there a ground cover that would help? View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants for vertical cliff in Pismo, CA July 11, 2011 Need help with erosion control on an 80' steep to vertical, top-soil, south facing cliff, Pismo CA (central coast) area. Terracing not an option. Prefer native, colorful plants that will give the bes... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Can Carolina wild petunia be planted over septic tank in Nokomis FL July 10, 2011 Could you tell me the root depth of the Ruellia caroliniensis/ Carolina wild petunia? Trying to determine if I can plant it over septic tank. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Plants to stop erosion on creek side July 05, 2011 I need plants for a westside slope to a creek that will help with erosion, need fast growing and likes lots of sun. Thank you, Mr. Smarty Plants View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Native grass for erosion control on Shoal Creek in Austin, TX June 22, 2011 What is the best grass seed for erosion control in Austin, TX - Shoal Creek goes through my back yard and I need to seed some areas and it gets lots of sun. View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Plants for curb appeal from Birmingham AL June 16, 2011 My front yard is on a down hill slope. Can you recommend some plants that would be good for creating curb appeal that will be planted up against the house? We need some that are short around 2 feet ... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer |  | |
| Preventing Soil Erosion in Elgin, Texas June 06, 2011 I live in Elgin,TX and our property is basically a slope with dense oak and cedar trees on the back of the property. The soil is sandy loam. What type of native plants or grasses can I plant to stop... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
| Grasses for erosion control in sand on coastal Georgia May 01, 2011 I've been tasked with identifying native grass varieties or mixes (Coastal Georgia) that can be used for erosion control on sandy slopes created from dredged river sediment and that receive lots of s... View Mr. Smarty Plants' Answer | ||
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